A United Nations–backed analysis released on Friday confirmed that famine is occurring in Gaza City and the wider Gaza Governorate, the first time such a designation has been made in the Middle East. The determination comes from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), the world’s leading authority on food crises. The IPC found that about 514,000 people—nearly a quarter of Gaza’s population—are already suffering Phase 5 “catastrophic” hunger, marked by widespread starvation, acute child malnutrition and hunger-related deaths. The body projects that famine will spread south to Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis by the end of September, pushing the number of people in famine conditions to roughly 641,000 unless access to food and aid improves. This is only the fifth time the IPC has assessed a famine since its creation in 2004, placing Gaza alongside previous emergencies in Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan. Aid agencies say the crisis has been driven by Israel’s restrictions on humanitarian deliveries, heavy fighting, mass displacement and the collapse of local food production after nearly two years of war. Israel’s military liaison office, COGAT, dismissed the IPC analysis as “false and biased,” emphasising recent increases in aid convoys. UN Secretary-General António Guterres countered that the situation "should haunt us all," calling for unrestricted humanitarian access and an immediate ceasefire. The designation is expected to heighten diplomatic pressure on Israel as it prepares a new offensive in Gaza City. According to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry, Israeli operations have killed more than 62,000 Palestinians since the conflict began on 7 October 2023. With water, sanitation, health and agricultural systems largely destroyed, humanitarian officials warn that child malnutrition and preventable deaths will rise sharply unless blockade measures are eased and hostilities subside.